Pitman for harvesting machines



y 193333 c. J. FREDERIKSEN PITMAN FOR HARVESTING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1930 Carl Jfrederzksen flTTY I/V/ TNE 55 m.

Fatented May 2, 1933 EJHTE S" Arts a CARL J. FRED'ERIKSEN, OF MOLINE, ILLENOIS, ASSIGNOR TO 85 COMPANY, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS PITMAN FOR HARVESTING MACHINES Application filed May 15, 1930. Serial No. 452,670.

My invention relates to improvements in pitman connections for harvesting machines and more particularly as applied to mowers, and has for its object to provide a simple and effective device by the operation of which the pitman is automatically held in connection with the knife head of a mower, and the wear of the connection readily and automatically compensated for.

A further object of my invention is to provide a connecting device which can be quickly and easily operated to attach the pitman to the mower knife head or to detach it therefrom.

Referring to the drawing in which similar numerals indicate identical parts Figure l is a, plan view of the grassward end of a mower attached to the knife head thereof and illustrating the application of my invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 with my device in operation in disconnecting the pitman from the knife head; c

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the grassward end of the pitman including my invention; and,

Figure is a detail section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

The type of pitman shown is well known in the art and commercially and includes the body 1, usually made of wood, to which are secured resilient straps 2 and 3 provided with calicular terminations 4 and 5 adapted to be clamped to a spherical block 6, on the knife head 7, by operation of my device which consists of a clamping member 8 pivotally mounted on the strap 8 and operating upon strap 2 by expansive force of a spring.

The clamping member 8 extends through a slot 9 in the strap 3, and is pivotally secured between lugs 10 and 11, on oppposite sides of the slot 9, by a pin or bolt 12 in alined orifices in the lugs. The clamping member 8 projects through a slot 13 in the strap 2 and is bent toward the knife head, so that the side 14 of the bent portion contacts with the end 15 of a groove 16 in the strap 2, the side 14 and the bottom of the groove being at an angle to each other so that a minimum of the surface of the parts at the point of contact does not vary, or the angle change in adjustment.

Longitudinally movable in a socket 17, in the body part 1 of the pitman, is a bolt 18 in the head 19 of which is a transverse groove 20 wherein the stubbleward side of the clamping member 8, at the bend thereof, is movably held. A coiled spring 21 encircles the shank of the bolt 18 and exerts its expansive force between the end of the body part 1 of the pitman and thehead 19 of the bolt with constant pressure on the member 8 at the bend thereof to clamp the ends of the straps 2 and 3 on the spherical block 6 of the knife head.

It is evident that the normal position of the calicular ends of straps 2 and 3 relative to each other, is a closed one, consequently the ends of the straps must be forcibly sprung apart either to connect the pitman with the knife head or to sever such connection when desirable. ,In Figure 1 the pitman is shown connected to the knife head with the pressure of the spring 21 moving the bolt 18 to rock the clamping member 8 on its pivot 12 so that the member and strap 2 are in contact at 15. The clamping memher 8 is bent toward the knife head, and from the bend to the free end of the memher the under surface thereof is at an angle to the groove 16, as previously stated, so that the pressure of the spring 21 is forcing the member toward the knife head and causing the bent portion of the member to slide up on the strap 2 at the point of contact 1 1; this action clamps the straps 2 and 8 firmly to the spherical block 6 of the knife head.

To disconnect the pitman from the knife head it is necessary to use a tool, suitable for the purpose, which may be any one of various patterns, and operative to rock the member 8 on its pivot 12 on the strap 3 and simultaneously spread the straps apart so that they can be readily removed from the spherical block 6. In dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2 I have illustrated a tool in the shape of a lever 22 having a hook end which is adapted, when the lever is in use, to ena rockable gage with an extended stud 28, on the strap 2, and with a sliding fulcrum on a similar stud 24 on the free end of the member 8; now it is clearly evident that by rocking the lever 22 stubbleward, the member 8 will be rocked in the same direction moving the bolt 18 longitudinally and compressing the spring 21; at the same time the straps are spread apart by the downward and stubbleward movement of the member the spreading movement of the straps being also aided by contact of the stubbleward side of the member 8 in contact with the stubbleward end of the slot 13 as shown in Figure 3. At the termination of this action of the lever the parts are in the position shown in Fig- ,ure 3, and the pitman can readily be detached from the knife head; the lower edge of the terminations 4 and 5 being cut away as shown in Figure 5 to limit the degree of spread of the straps necessary to clear the spherical block, whether attaching the pitman to the knife head .or removing it therespring 21 is constant consequently the pressure of the member 8 at the point 15 on the strap 2 is also constant and any wear of the parts at the connection of the pitman with the knife head is readily taken up.

IVhat I claim is I. In a pitman connection, a pitman having resilient straps, alined slots in the straps,

clamping member pivotally I mounted on one of the straps and extending through said slots, said clamping member operative to draw the straps toward each other or to spread the straps apart, and means to rock said member in clamping position.

2. In a pitman connection, a pitman having resilient straps, alined slots in the straps, a rockable clamping member pivotally mounted on one of the straps and extending through said slots, said member adapted to be rocked in one direction to spread the straps apart, and means automatically operating to rock said member in the opposite direction to draw the straps together.

3. A pitman having a pair of straps, a clamping member pivoted on one strap and having camming surfaces on opposite sides adjacent its free end and adapted to contact with companion camming surfaces on the second strap, said surfaces being shaped so that camming movement between one set of surfaces tends to draw said straps together and camming movement between the other set, of surfaces tends to spread said vstraps apart.

ing resilient straps provided with calicular bearings, alined slots in said straps, a clamping member pivotally mounted on one strap and extending through said slots and operative to draw said straps together or spread them apart, a stud on the free end of said member and projecting from the side thereof, and a similar stud on a side of the adjacent strap and in alinement with the first mentioned stud.

CARL J. FREDERIKSEN. 

